The lightning that annihilated the Demon King Salvos had yet to fully dissipate, and the battlefield remained thick with the scent of smoke and blood. The coalition soul masters began clearing the field and tending to the wounded, but everyone's gaze was drawn involuntarily to the center of the valley: the Hell Gate, which still emitted an ominous blood-red glow, though no more demons poured forth, and the two figures standing proudly in the air before it—Yu Yuanchen and Qian Chongxiao.
Qian Chongxiao held the Angel Sacred Sword, its light now somewhat dim, and looked at the violently shaking Hell Gate that seemed on the verge of collapse. He said in a deep voice, "Young Friend Yuanchen, the Demon King has been slain. The portal is unstable; now is the time to destroy it completely and end this threat once and for all!" With that, he prepared to condense his divine power and swing his sword to sever the distorted spatial rift.
"Elder Qian, wait." Yu Yuanchen suddenly raised a hand to stop him, his voice calm.
Qian Chongxiao paused, looking at him in confusion. "Young friend, what is the meaning of this? If this gate is not destroyed, it will always be a grave threat."
Yu Yuanchen stared deep into the Hell Gate and said slowly, "Destroying this gate would certainly resolve the immediate crisis. However, the connection points between the Demon Plane and our Douluo Plane are likely far more numerous than just this one. Those 'Demon Seeds' lurking across the continent, as well as soul masters possessing evil martial souls, are all potential portals. Blocking is not as effective as channeling; one cannot guard against everything."
He paused, turning to Qian Chongxiao, his eyes flashing with a wise light. "This junior has an idea that might turn our passive position into an active one, and perhaps... secure a long-term benefit for our soul master world. But, I need to make use of this gate."
Qian Chongxiao frowned, his heart filled with suspicion. A long-term benefit? Using the Hell Gate? This youth's mind was truly unfathomable. But having witnessed Yu Yuanchen's strength and foresight, he pondered for a moment and suppressed the urge to destroy the gate immediately. "What high opinion does the young friend have? Speak freely."
Yu Yuanchen said no more, his thoughts shifting. The purple-gold lightning around his body surged once again, more condensed and oppressive than when he had killed the Demon King!
"Holy Dragon Town Prison Tribulation, Seal!"
He let out a low shout, his hands forming seals as he pressed forward into the void! In an instant, a massive pillar of light over twenty zhang in diameter, composed entirely of purple-gold lightning, descended like a divine punishment from the nine heavens. It landed squarely, completely shrouding and plugging the entrance to the Hell Gate!
Hum—!
The moment the lightning pillar made contact with the Hell Gate, it erupted with a piercing sound of energy friction! The blood-colored energy surging within the gate slammed frantically against the pillar, but it was like hitting an iron wall, unable to cross even an inch! On the surface of the pillar, countless fine thunder runes flowed, emitting a powerful force of suppression and confinement that not only blocked the flow of energy but seemed to temporarily freeze the space behind the gate!
This was not a seal, but something more overbearing—a blockade! Using power bordering on that of the gods, he had forcibly plugged this planar passage! Unless a force could forcibly shatter this lightning pillar from the inside, no existence from the Demon Plane would ever set foot on the Douluo Continent again!
Qian Chongxiao felt the vast power and exquisite laws contained within the lightning pillar—a force that made even him, a Titled Douluo wielding a divine artifact, feel a sense of palpitation—and his heart was shaken once more. This youth's control over power had reached the realm of perfection! He completely extinguished his doubts, nodded, and said, "A fine method! In that case, we shall follow the young friend's intent and keep this gate for now. Let us first finish off the remaining enemies!"
With that, the two figures flashed away, joining the mop-up of the remaining demons.
Having lost the command of the Demon King and the support of the Hell Gate, the remaining demon army, though still fierce, had become like duckweed without roots, falling into chaos. Under the sweep of the coalition experts, especially Yu Yuanchen and Qian Chongxiao, they quickly crumbled.
The battle lasted for about an hour. Aside from a few Green Flame Demons and Great Demon Cavalry at the Super Douluo level that Yu Yuanchen had intentionally left half-dead, the demons in the valley had been wiped out.
After the battle, the coalition began to rest, treat the wounded, and tally the losses. Yu Yuanchen walked over to the few demon captives that had been specifically spared.
Within his eyes, purple-gold light swirled, and his vast spiritual power at the peak of the Spirit Domain Realm spread out like substance, causing Qian Chongxiao and other experts nearby to feel a sense of palpitation.
Soul Searching Technique! Yu Yuanchen thought to himself. During his seclusion, he had referenced a unique soul skill from a guest elder of the Ye Family who possessed a spirit-attribute martial soul. Relying on his own powerful spiritual power in the Spirit Domain Realm, he had developed this method himself. It could forcibly read the memories of living beings, but it placed extremely high demands on the practitioner's spiritual power and caused immense damage to the subject, which was why he rarely used it. But now, to obtain key intelligence, he could not afford to be picky. Besides, these demons were not even human, leaving Yu Yuanchen without a shred of sympathy.
He pressed his fingers, shaped like a sword, against the forehead of a dying Green Flame Demon. His powerful spiritual power pierced into its chaotic, evil soul like a sharp blade, ignoring its painful wails as he forcibly read through its memory fragments.
Scene after scene of the cruelty, chaos, and bloodshed of the Demon Plane flooded into Yu Yuanchen's mind. The law of the jungle, slaughter and devouring, the barren resources of the plane, the harsh environment... At the same time, he captured information regarding the top-tier powers of the Demon Plane.
"So that's how it is..." A flash of realization crossed Yu Yuanchen's eyes. Piecing together the fragmented memories, he confirmed that this Demon Plane was indeed the same one from his past life's memories that had been connected to the Fallen Angel Martial Soul System in Dou San.
Its supreme rulers were known as "Demon Kings," with strength comparable to Demigods (existences that surpassed ordinary Titled Douluo and touched the threshold of the god-level). However, limited by the plane laws, only five Demon Kings could coexist in the same era! Salvos, whom he had killed, was one of the five! Now, there were four Demigod-level Demon Kings left behind the gate!
Four Demigods... Yu Yuanchen calculated in his heart. With his current strength—at the peak of Level 98, but with actual combat power far exceeding ordinary Demigods (Qian Chongxiao with his divine artifact could be considered to have Demigod combat power, and Yu Yuanchen was confident he could suppress him, even easily contending with two ordinary Demigods)—plus the top-tier combat power of Qian Chongxiao, Tang Chen, and the coalition elites, it was not impossible to fight! Especially since the Demon Plane had a harsh environment where demons lacked trust and fought among themselves; if they could utilize that...
A bold plan began to take shape in his mind.
Just then, the leaders of the various forces who had finished cleaning up the battlefield—Yu Boxuan, Tang Gan, Ning Zhiyuan, Feng Zaiyun, Dai Jingxuan, Shi Feng, Qian Chongshan, Golden Crocodile Douluo, and others, along with Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen—all gathered around. Everyone looked at the Hell Gate blocked by the lightning pillar, then at the captured demons, and finally cast questioning gazes at Yu Yuanchen.
The Pope, Qian Chongshan, spoke on behalf of everyone: "Young Sect Master Yuanchen, the Demon King has been slain, and the remaining enemies have been nearly cleared. I wonder what deep meaning you have in keeping this gate and capturing these demons?"
Yu Yuanchen looked around at everyone, knowing it was time to show his cards. He took a deep breath and, with a solemn expression, relayed the essential intelligence he had obtained through the soul search:
"Everyone, according to what I learned from the memories of these demons, the Demon Plane connected behind this gate is a Medium Material Plane with barren resources and a harsh environment. Its strongest beings are 'Demon Kings,' with strength comparable to Demigods." He specifically glanced at Qian Chongxiao. "Elder Qian, who wields a divine artifact, can be considered to be on the same level."
The crowd was stunned upon hearing this. Demigods! That was an existence beyond ordinary Titled Douluo!
Yu Yuanchen continued: "Fortunately, the laws of this plane are flawed; at most, five Demon Kings can coexist in the same era. I have already slain one, so there should be four Demigod-level Demon Kings left behind the gate."
Four Demigods! Everyone gasped! If such power were to pour out in full force, it would be enough to sweep across the current Douluo Continent! If not for the two top-tier combatants, Yu Yuanchen and Qian Chongxiao, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"However," Yu Yuanchen changed the subject, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, "the Demon Plane is rife with internal strife, and the four Demon Kings are by no means a monolith. Their overall strength, while strong, is not impossible to contend with. More importantly, are we to remain in passive defense forever, waiting for them to attack us every time before we rush to fight and suffer losses?"
His voice rose, carrying an unquestionable decisiveness: "I believe that passive defense is by no means a long-term solution! The demons' desire to destroy us remains, and although this gate is blocked, the hidden danger persists. Instead of sitting and waiting for them to open portals whenever and wherever they please, why don't we... take the initiative and attack them!"
"Take the initiative and attack?!" Everyone was shocked by this bold idea! A counter-offensive against the Demon Plane? This was simply unheard of!
"Yuanchen, are you saying... we should go through this gate and kill our way into the Demon Plane?" Tang Chen's eyes widened, his breathing quickening. Far from being afraid, he showed an extremely excited expression.
"Exactly!" Yu Yuanchen said decisively. "Catch them off guard and strike first! If we can defeat or even kill one or two Demon Kings, it will surely deal a heavy blow to the Demon Plane's vitality, leaving them unable to invade for a long time! Even... if we can control some of the resources of the Demon Plane, it will have infinite benefits for the future development of our soul master world!"
The hall fell into silence. Everyone was so stunned by Yu Yuanchen's earth-shattering plan that they were speechless. A counter-offensive against another plane? What kind of courage and strength would that require?!
Seeing that everyone still had doubts, Yu Yuanchen threw out the final piece of information, the one most likely to touch a nerve: "Additionally, I learned during the soul search that under one of the Demon Kings in the Demon Plane, there exists a special legion—they are not pure-blooded demons, but... Fallen Angels who possess dark wings and use fallen dark power!"
"What?!"
"Fallen Angels?!"
Qian Chongxiao and his son, Qian Daoliu, exclaimed almost simultaneously! The Angel Sacred Sword in Qian Chongxiao's hand trembled violently, erupting with angry Holy Light! Qian Daoliu's complexion turned ashen, and his golden eyes burned with raging fury!
Angels! That was the source of their Qian family bloodline, the symbol of holiness and light! To be profaned by demons and converted into fallen minions! This was simply a supreme humiliation! It was the greatest disrespect to the Angel God!
Just as Qian Daoliu was burning with rage, the Angel Mark on his forehead suddenly grew hot, and a sacred thought entered his mind—the Angel's Fourth Trial had begun!
[Angel's Fourth Trial: Glory Shall Not Be Profaned (I).]
[Trial Content: Enter the Demon Plane and personally slay ten demons with strength reaching the Titled Douluo level.]
[Trial Time Limit: One year.]
[Trial Reward: Affinity with the Godhead increased by ten percent.]
The descent of the divine trial was like the final catalyst! Qian Daoliu did not hesitate any longer. He stepped forward, his voice cold and firm: "Father, Brother Yuanchen! The matter of the Fallen Angels cannot be tolerated! This is a profanation of our Angel lineage! I am willing to go to the Demon Plane, purify the filth, and defend our glory!" The appearance of the divine trial meant that the Angel God also approved of this operation!
Yu Yuanchen looked toward Qian Daoliu and gave a slight nod. He had long guessed that news of the Fallen Angel would inevitably incite the full support of the Angel family.
"If old Qian is going, how could I, Tang Chen, fall behind!" Tang Chen laughed heartily and slapped his chest with force. "Yuanchen, how could such an exciting thing as attacking another plane be missing me, Tang Chen! Count me in!"
Qian Chongxiao looked at his son's firm gaze, then at the unfathomable Yu Yuanchen and the heroic Tang Chen, weighing the pros and cons in his heart. Four Demigod Demon Kings were certainly powerful, but with Yu Yuanchen—a freak whose strength likely already surpassed that of an ordinary Demigod—leading the charge, plus his own assistance with a divine artifact, the top-tier combat power of Liuer and Tang Chen, and the elite support of the Coalition Army, they were not without a chance of victory. More importantly, this was truly a once-in-a-millennium opportunity to resolve the demonic threat, secure benefits for Martial Soul Hall (the Angel lineage), and wash away their disgrace!
He took a deep breath, finally reached a decision, and said in a deep voice, "Very well! Young Friend Yuanchen is far-sighted, and his words are reasonable. Passive defense is never a good strategy. The demons have blasphemed against divine grace, and their crimes deserve death! My Angel lineage is willing to throw our full support behind this counterattack!"
Seeing that the leaders of the three strongest factions—the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Martial Soul Hall (the Angel lineage), and the Clear Sky Sect—had all agreed, the leaders of the other sects exchanged glances. Knowing that this matter concerned the future of the continent and that opportunity and risk coexisted, they eventually all declared their support.
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is willing to lend a hand!" Ning Zhiyuan said first.
"The Wind Sword Sect seconds this!"
"The White Tiger Sect is willing to go!"
"The Black Tortoise Sect will not shirk its duty!"
"The Fire Leopard Sect awaits your orders!"
The grand plan to counterattack the Demon Plane was, at this moment, preliminarily set!
Yu Yuanchen looked at the group that had reached a consensus, his heart settling. His gaze turned once again toward the Hell Gate blocked by Thunder, as if he could already see that chaotic land full of opportunities behind the gate.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan